Philippines

Photo by Veronica Baker Amores

Across the Philippines, passionate volunteers are leading the charge to grow their climbing communities and manage local climbing areas. Yet many local climbing organizations (LCOs) are in early stages of development, facing challenges in leadership, planning, and sustainability. In response to the needs articulated by Filipino climbers, we launched the Climbing Leadership Fund: Philippines — a multi-phase initiative to invest in the next generation of climbing leaders in the Philippines.

In 2024, we offered a five-month nonprofit development training that brought together 35 climbing leaders from across the country. Facilitated by instructors Veronica Baker Amores and Tim Casasola, this collaborative training covered:

• Organizational models

• Leadership skills

• Shaping mission and vision

• Strategic goal-setting

• Team development

In 2025, we deepened our support by investing in the Iloilo Climbing Community (ICC) with hands-on crag development education. Led by Algin Amores, AMGA guide and developer of Danao Climbing, ICC leaders participated in a two-week intensive clinic focused on bolting safety, route development, and sustainable crag management.

“The most valuable parts of the training are the cognitive reframing that GCI presented to us,” said Jurgen Monteclaro, ICC Secretary. “This allowed us to reflect on our own strengths and how we could best apply them for the growth of the community. This unlocked within us a different level of mindset and dared us to challenge our limits, pulling inspiration from the success stories of various climbing communities. The exposure and knowledge of best practices, the organizational structures of different LCOs, and the challenges they overcame were also invaluable, as they could be a guide for our group as we take our first steps for a better ICC in the future.”

Read more about the project on Sterling Rope’s blog

Photos by Veronica Baker Amores

Thank you Sterling Rope for making this project possible!